FAITHFUL JOHN

THERE was once on a time an old king who was ill, and thought to himself,
"I am lying on what must be my death-bed." Then said he, "Tell Faithful
John to come to me." Faithful John was his favourite servant, and was so
called, because he had for his whole life long been so true to him. When
therefore he came beside the bed, the King said to him, "Most faithful
John, I feel my end approaching, and have no anxiety except about my
son. He is still of tender age, and cannot always know how to guide
himself. If thou dost not promise me to teach him everything that he
ought to know, and to be his foster-father, I cannot close my eyes in
peace." Then answered Faithful John, "I will not forsake him, and will
serve him with fidelity, even if it should cost me my life." On this,
the old King said, "Now I die in comfort and peace." Then he added,
"After my death, thou shalt show him the whole castle: all the chambers,
halls, and vaults, and all the treasures which lie therein, but the last
chamber in the long gallery, in which is the picture of the princess
of the
[24] Golden Dwelling, shalt thou not show. If he sees that picture,
he will fall violently in love with her, and will drop down in a swoon,
and go through great danger for her sake, therefore thou must preserve
him from that." And when Faithful John had once more given his promise
to the old King about this, the King said no more, but laid his head on
his pillow, and died.

When the old King had been carried to his grave, Faithful John told
the young King all that he had promised his father on his deathbed,
and said, "This will I assuredly perform, and will be faithful to thee
as I have been faithful to him, even if it should cost me my life." When
the mourning was over, Faithful John said to him, "It is now time that
thou shouldst see thine inheritance. I will show thee thy father's
palace." Then he took him about everywhere, up and down, and let him
see all the riches, and the magnificent apartments, only there was one
room which he did not open, that in which hung the dangerous picture. The
picture was, however, so placed that when the door was opened you looked
straight on it, and it was so admirably painted that it seemed to breathe
and live, and there was nothing more charming or more beautiful in the
whole world. The young King, however, plainly remarked that Faithful
John always walked past this one door, and said, "Why dost thou never
open this one for me?" "There is something within it," he replied, "which
would terrify thee." But the King answered, "I have seen all the palace,
and I will know what is in this room also," and he went and tried to
break open the door by force. Then Faithful John held him back and said,
"I promised thy father before his death that thou shouldst not see that
which is in this chamber, it might bring the greatest misfortune on
thee and on me." "Ah, no," replied the young King, "if I do not go in,
it will be my certain destruction. I should have no rest day or night
until I had seen it with my own eyes. I shall not leave the place now
until thou hast unlocked the door."

Then Faithful John saw that there was no help for it now, and with a heavy
heart and many sighs, sought out the key from the great bunch. When he
had opened the door, he went in first, and thought by standing before
[25] him he could hide the portrait so that the King should not see it in
front of him, but what availed that? The King stood on tip-toe and
saw it over his shoulder. And when he saw the portrait of the maiden,
which was so magnificent and shone with gold and precious stones, he
fell fainting to the ground. Faithful John took him up, carried him to
his bed, and sorrowfully thought, "The misfortune has befallen us, Lord
God, what will be the end of it?" Then he strengthened him with wine,
until he came to himself again. The first words the King said were,
"Ah, the beautiful portrait! whose it it?" "That is the princess of
the Golden Dwelling," answered Faithful John. Then the King continued,
"My love for her is so great, that if all the leaves on all the trees
were tongues, they could not declare it. I will give my life to win
her. Thou art my most Faithful John, thou must help me."

The faithful servant considered within himself for a long time how to
set about the matter, for it was difficult even to obtain a sight of the
King's daughter. At length he thought of a way, and said to the King,
"Everything which she has about her is of gold—tables, chairs, dishes,
glasses, bowls, and household furniture. Among thy treasures are five
tons of gold; let one of the goldsmiths of the Kingdom work these up
into all manner of vessels and utensils, into all kinds of birds, wild
beasts and strange animals, such as may please her, and we will go there
with them and try our luck."

The King ordered all the goldsmiths to be brought to him, and they
had to work night and day until at last the most splendid things were
prepared. When everything was stowed on board a ship, Faithful John put on
the dress of a merchant, and the King was forced to do the same in order
to make himself quite unrecognizable. Then they sailed across the sea,
and sailed on until they came to the town wherein dwelt the princess of
the Golden Dwelling.

Faithful John bade the King stay behind on the ship, and wait for
him. "Perhaps I shall bring the princess with me," said he, "therefore
see that everything is in order; have the golden vessels set out and
the whole ship decorated." Then he gathered together in his apron all
kinds of gold things, went on shore and walked straight
[26] to the royal
palace. When he entered the courtyard of the palace, a beautiful girl
was standing there by the well with two golden buckets in her hand,
drawing water with them. And when she was just turning round to carry
away the sparkling water she saw the stranger, and asked who he was. So
he answered, "I am a merchant," and opened his apron, and let her look
in. Then she cried, "Oh, what beautiful gold things!" and put her pails
down and looked at the golden wares one after the other. Then said the
girl, "The princess must see these, she has such great pleasure in golden
things, that she will buy all you have." She took him by the hand and led
him upstairs, for she was the waiting-maid. When the King's daughter saw
the wares, she was quite delighted and said, "They are so beautifully
worked, that I will buy them all of thee." But Faithful John said, "I
am only the servant of a rich merchant. The things I have here are not
to be compared with those my master has in his ship. They are the most
beautiful and valuable things that have ever been made in gold." She
wanted to have everything brought to her there, but he said, "There
are so many of them that it would take a great many days to do that,
and so many rooms would be required to exhibit them, that your house is
not big enough." Then her curiosity and longing were still more excited,
until at last she said, "Conduct me to the ship, I will go there myself,
and behold the treasures of thine master."

On this Faithful John was quite delighted, and led her to the ship, and
when the King saw her, he perceived that her beauty was even greater than
the picture had represented it to be, and thought no other than that his
heart would burst in twain. Then she got into the ship, and the King led
her within. Faithful John, however, remained behind with the pilot, and
ordered the ship to be pushed off, saying, "Set all sail, till it fly like
a bird in air." Within, however, the King showed her the golden vessels,
every one of them, also the wild beasts and strange animals. Many hours
went by whilst she was seeing everything, and in her delight she did not
observe that the ship was sailing away. After she had looked at the last,
she thanked the merchant and wanted to go home, but when she came to
[27] the
side of the ship, she saw that it was on the deep sea far from land,
and hurrying onwards with all sail set. "Ah," cried she in her alarm,
"I am betrayed! I am carried away and have fallen into the power of
a merchant—I would die rather!" The King, however, seized her hand,
and said, "I am not a merchant. I am a king, and of no meaner origin than
thou art, and if I have carried thee away with subtlety, that has come to
pass because of my exceeding great love for thee. The first time that I
looked on thy portrait, I fell fainting to the ground." When the princess
of the Golden Dwelling heard that, she was comforted, and her heart was
inclined unto him, so that she willingly consented to be his wife.

It so happened, however, while they were sailing onwards over the deep
sea, that Faithful John, who was sitting on the fore part of the vessel,
making music, saw three ravens in the air, which came flying towards
them. On this he stopped playing and listened to what they were saying
to each other, for that he well understood. One cried, "Oh, there he is
carrying home the princess of the Golden Dwelling." "Yes," replied the
second, "but he has not got her yet." Said the third, "But he has got
her, she is sitting beside him in the ship." Then the first began again,
and cried, "What good will that do him? When they reach land a chestnut
horse will leap forward to meet him, and the prince will want to mount
it, but if he does that, it will run away with him, and rise up into the
air with him, and he will never see his maiden more." Spake the second,
"But is there no escape?"

"Oh, yes, if any one else gets on it swiftly, and takes out the pistol
which must be in its holster, and shoots the horse dead with it, the
young King is saved. But who knows that? And whosoever does know it, and
tells it to him, will be turned to stone from the toe to the knee." Then
said the second, "I know more than that; even if the horse be killed,
the young King will still not keep his bride. When they go into the
castle together, a wrought bridal garment will be lying there in a dish,
and looking as if it were woven of gold and silver; it is, however,
nothing but sulphur and pitch, and if he put it on, it will
[28] burn him to
the very bone and marrow." Said the third, "Is there no escape at all?"

"Oh, yes," replied the second, "if any one with gloves on seizes the
garment and throws it into the fire and burns it, the young King will be
saved. "But what avails that?" "Whosoever knows it and tells it to him,
half his body will become stone from the knee to the heart."

Then said the third, "I know still more; even if the bridal garment be
burnt, the young King will still not have his bride. After the wedding,
when the dancing begins and the young queen is dancing, she will suddenly
turn pale and fall down as if dead, and if some one does not lift her
up and draw three drops of blood from her right breast and spit them
out again, she will die. But if any one who knows that were to declare
it, he would become stone from the crown of his head to the sole of his
foot." When the ravens had spoken of this together, they flew onwards,
and Faithful John had well understood everything, but from that time
forth he became quiet and sad, for if he concealed what he had heard from
his master, the latter would be unfortunate, and if he discovered it to
him, he himself must sacrifice his life. At length, however, he said to
himself, "I will save my master, even if it bring destruction on myself."

When therefore they came to shore, all happened as had been foretold
by the ravens, and a magnificent chestnut horse sprang forward. "Good,"
said the King, "he shall carry me to my palace," and was about to mount
it when Faithful John got before him, jumped quickly on it, drew the
pistol out of the holster, and shot the horse. Then the other attendants
of the King, who after all were not very fond of Faithful John, cried,
"How shameful to kill the beautiful animal, that was to have carried the
King to his palace." But the King said, "Hold your peace and leave him
alone, he is my most faithful John, who knows what may be the good of
that!" They went into the palace, and in the hall there stood a dish,
and therein lay the bridal garment looking no otherwise than as if it
were made of gold and silver. The young King went towards it and was
about to take hold of it, but Faithful John pushed him away, seized it
with gloves on,
[29] carried it quickly to the fire and burnt it. The other
attendants again began to murmur, and said, "Behold, now he is even
burning the King's bridal garment!" But the young King said, "Who knows
what good he may have done, leave him alone, he is my most faithful John."

And now the wedding was solemnized: the dance began, and the bride also
took part in it; then Faithful John was watchful and looked into her
face, and suddenly she turned pale and fell to the ground, as if she
were dead. On this he ran hastily to her, lifted her up and bore her
into a chamber—then he laid her down, and knelt and sucked the three
drops of blood from her right breast, and spat them out. Immediately she
breathed again and recovered herself, but the young King had seen this,
and being ignorant why Faithful John had done it, was angry and cried,
"Throw him into a dungeon." Next morning Faithful John was condemned,
and led to the gallows, and when he stood on high, and was about to be
executed, he said, "Every one who has to die is permitted before his end
to make one last speech; may I too claim the right?" "Yes," answered
the King, "it shall be granted unto thee." Then said Faithful John,
"I am unjustly condemned, and have always been true to thee," and he
related how he had hearkened to the conversation of the ravens when on
the sea, and how he had been obliged to do all these things in order to
save his master. Then cried the King, "Oh, my most Faithful John. Pardon,
pardon—bring him down." But as Faithful John spoke the last word he
had fallen down lifeless and become a stone.

Thereupon the King and the Queen suffered great anguish, and the King
said, "Ah, how ill I have requited great fidelity!" and ordered the stone
figure to be taken up and placed in his bedroom beside his bed. And as
often as he looked on it he wept and said, "Ah, if I could bring thee
to life again, my most faithful John." Some time passed and the Queen
bore twins, two sons who grew fast and were her delight. Once when the
Queen was at church and the two children were sitting playing beside
their father, the latter full of grief again looked at the stone figure,
sighed and said, "Ah, if I could but bring
[30] thee to life again, my most
faithful John." Then the stone began to speak and said, "Thou canst bring
me to life again if thou wilt use for that purpose what is dearest to
thee." Then cried the King, "I will give everything I have in the world
for thee." The stone continued, "If thou wilt will cut off the heads of
thy two children with thine own hand, and sprinkle me with their blood,
I shall be restored to life."

The King was terrified when he heard that he himself must kill his
dearest children, but he thought of faithful John's great fidelity, and
how he had died for him, drew his sword, and with his own hand cut off
the children's heads. And when he had smeared the stone with their blood,
life returned to it, and Faithful John stood once more safe and healthy
before him. He said to the King, "Thy truth shall not go unrewarded,"
and took the heads of the children, put them on again, and rubbed the
wounds with their blood, on which they became whole again immediately,
and jumped about, and went on playing as if nothing had happened. Then
the King was full of joy, and when he saw the Queen coming he hid Faithful
John and the two children in a great cupboard. When she entered, he said
to her, "Hast thou been praying in the church?" "Yes," answered she,
"but I have constantly been thinking of Faithful John and what misfortune
has befallen him through us." Then said he, "Dear wife, we can give him
his life again, but it will cost us our two little sons, whom we must
sacrifice." The Queen turned pale, and her heart was full of terror,
but she said, "We owe it to him, for his great fidelity." Then the King
was rejoiced that she thought as he had thought, and went and opened the
cupboard, and brought forth Faithful John and the children, and said,
"God be praised, he is delivered, and we have our little sons again also,"
and told her how everything had occurred. Then they dwelt together in
much happiness until their death.

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